


Just Like Mine

by themetgayla



Series: Swan Queen Week - Winter 2017 [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Lyon Flower Tattoo, Soulmate AU, Swan Queen Week Winter 2017, Tattoos, drunk!emma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 09:44:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9542189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themetgayla/pseuds/themetgayla
Summary: "There's something I should remember, isn't there?" The blonde asked suddenly, meeting Regina's gaze and narrowing her eyes."Well, I... uh..." The Mayor stammered, something she rarely did. "I suppose you could say that, yes.""What was it?" The younger woman asked, gulping inaudibly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for SQ Week, Day Four, Soulmates AU. I hope you enjoy, usual disclaimers apply.
> 
> Oh, and obviously don't read if you like Robin.

Regina sat in her study, nursing a glass of dark amber liquid, deep in thought. She didn't know what to do; Robin had come into town with that massive lion tattoo on his arm, claiming he was her soulmate. Everything seemed perfect, apart from one tiny problem. The problem was that Regina wasn't in love with him. Hell, she barely knew him. She loved Emma. Oh, sweet, stupid Emma.

It had been a couple of years since she'd first realised her feelings, and they had been sat at the back of her mind (or the front, depending how you looked at it), stewing away since then. Regina had resigned herself to the fact it would never happen; Emma had seemed happy enough with the pirate the last time she'd seen her. Maybe she just needed to move on and give Robin a chance? He was supposed to be her soulmate, after all. Surely that meant they were destined to fall in love, didn't it?

The brunette was jolted out of her thoughts as a sharp knocking sounded at the door. She frowned; who the hell was knocking at her door at twelve-fifteen? With a sigh, she set down her cider and stood up, brushing an imaginary piece of lint off her dress as she did so. Running a hand through her hair, she padded to the front door.

Regina opened it slowly, peering round at the person on the other side. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw Emma, and she opened up the door wider. "Miss Swan, what brings you here?" The brunette kept a straight face, refusing to acknowledge the unwanted fluttering in her stomach.

"Ginaaaa!" Emma squealed, launching herself forwards, into the woman before her. Regina stumbled back in shock, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of Emma clinging to her waist like a small child. Recovering quickly and shaking off the surprise, the Mayor tentatively wrapped her arms around the Sheriff's lean figure and hugged her back.

"Are you drunk, Emma?" She asked softly, resisting the urge to run her hands through the blonde's hair.

"You called me Emma!" The younger woman exclaimed suddenly, pulling back with a huge grin adorning her face.

Regina just hummed in agreement and repeated her question. "Emma, are you drunk?"

"No!" Emma said, far too quickly. "Well, maybe... I don't know." The blonde cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy, and Regina couldn't resist smiling softly.

"What possessed you to go and get drunk?" Regina asked, closing the door and leading Emma towards her study with a gentle hand on the small of her back.

"Broke up with Killian. We had an argument." Emma stated simply, her mouth pulled up into a goofy smile.

"May I ask what it was about?" The brunette pushed the blonde down onto the couch and sat next to her, placing a soothing hand on her knee.

"You." Was all Emma said, looking Regina straight in the eye. The older woman's eyes widened slightly in surprise, before she regained her composure.

"And how did this involve me?" She asked, half fearing the answer. _Whatever could they have argued about?_ Regina knew Killian hated her, and she hated him. _Was that the reason they broke up?_

"He said I spent all my time with you, and not enough time with him. I said it was because you were my best friend, but he said it was as if I was in love with you." A lazy smiled spread across Emma's lips as she stared at the fire dancing on the other side of the room. Regina gave a barely audible gasp. _It doesn't mean she returns the feelings, you stupid woman._

"What happened then?" The Mayor prompted, trying not to sound eager to hear the end result.

"I told him I was. Then he stormed out and I went to the Rabbit Hole." The Sheriff replied, glancing away, suddenly becoming nervous. She bit down on her lip anxiously, chewing at it as she waited for Regina's response to her confession.

"Y-You are?" The brunette stammered, her walls crumbling down around her. Emma leant back against the couch, her eyelids fluttering. _No, don't fall asleep now you idiot!_

"Yeah." The blonde mumbled, her shoulders relaxing as she drifted further and further from the waking world.

"I love you too." Regina whispered, looking away. She waited for Emma to reply, but when all she heard was silence she turned her head back to where the younger woman was sat.

Emma's head was lolled to the side, her lips parted slightly. She looked so peaceful; her usual worry lines were gone, and her features looked unusually relaxed. Regina sighed; of course Emma had fallen asleep before she'd had a chance to hear her reply.

The Mayor couldn't help but smile at the younger woman as she rose from her seat. She knelt on the floor and began removing Emma's lace-up boots, setting them to one side once she'd finished. She then, with great care, lifted Emma's legs up onto the couch and shifted her backwards. Regina pushed some pillows under her head and reached for a blanket.

As she did so, Emma rolled over in her sleep, snuggling deep into the couch. A small sigh escaped her pale, chapped lips, and she whined slightly like a puppy. Regina couldn't help but laugh softly, and a bright smile broke out onto her face.

And that's what she saw it.

It was just the tip of what looked like a petal, peeking over the edge of Emma's waistband. Regina's smile dropped off her face, and her eyes bugged out of her head as she fixed her eyes on the spot and moved closer automatically. With a whisper of a touch, she pulled back the denim and gasped when she saw the tattoo.

It was a Lyon flower.

Regina stood up so quickly she fell back, slipping onto the floor. Her heartbeat elevated until it was banging violently against her ribcage. _Could it really be true? Emma could be my soulmate, couldn't she? Oh god..._

Silently, the older woman stood and walked hastily from the room, welcoming the cool of her hall in contrast to the heat of the study. She took a few deep breaths, forced herself to relax and headed up the stairs for a sleepless night.

_I'll just ask Emma about it in the morning. I have to find out why she didn't tell me._

* * *

As soon as Regina awoke the next morning, she bolted out of bed, barely slipping on her silk robe as she flew down the stairs. She wondered briefly for a moment whether Emma had left, but as soon as she smelt the welcoming scent of coffee, she relaxed. _Trust Emma to make herself at home,_ Regina thought wryly. A few years ago, something like that would have driven the usually stoic Mayor livid, but now, she didn't bat an eyelid.

The brunette padded lightly into the kitchen, taking in the sight of a half-asleep Emma slumped over the kitchen counter. A mug of coffee was sat in front of her, steam escaping from the top in delicate wisps.

As Regina stepped closer, and into the kitchen, Emma looked up, twisting round on her stool. "Hey." The blonde mumbled sleepily, stifling a yawn. She picked up her coffee and brought it to her lips, chugging half the mug.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" Regina asked, going about making her own cup of coffee.

"Great, actually. Except now I have one hell of a hangover." Emma muttered, scrubbing a hand over her face. Regina opened a drawer and rummaged through, producing two Advil tablets. She handed them over wordlessly, and Emma look them with a grateful smile, popping them into her mouth and washing them down with another gulp of coffee. "Thanks. I assume you're the one who took off my boots and put the blanket over me?"

Regina felt heat creep onto her cheeks, so she looked away, suddenly very interested in stirring her cup of coffee. "Yes. You fell asleep in the middle of a conversation. Do you remember anything?" Now that, was the million dollar question. _What do I do if Emma doesn't remember? It's going to be so awkward to tell her what happened._

"Well, I remember coming over to yours and knocking at your door." Emma scrunched her brows together, clearly trying to remember. "Did I... hug you?" The younger woman asked, clearly embarrassed. She ducked her head and Regina chuckled.

"Yes, like a koala." The brunette smiled at the memory. "Anything else?"

"There's something I should remember, isn't there?" The blonde asked suddenly, meeting Regina's gaze and narrowing her eyes.

"Well, I... uh..." The Mayor stammered, something she rarely did. "I suppose you could say that, yes."

"What was it?" The younger woman asked, gulping inaudibly.

"Well, you told me about your breakup with Killian, and about the argument." Regina prompted, hoping she wouldn't have to spell it out that Emma told her she loved her.

"What did I say?" Emma asked, already fearing the worst. _I told Regina I loved her, didn't I? Shit, I'm so stupid. Fuck my life._

"Well, you said that you argued because of me, and that Killian said that you hung out with me more than him. And you said it was because we were best friends, but he said it was like you were..." Regina trailed off, taking a deep breath of courage before continuing. "Like you were in love with me."

"Did I really say that?" Emma covered her face with her hands as her cheeks flushed deep pink.

"Yes. And you also said that he was right..." The brunette looked away again, pouring some milk into her mug and stirring it again. She blew gently on the dark liquid and took a sip, trying not to wince from the heat that burnt her tongue.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Just ignore it. Can we pretend it didn't happen? I don't want it to ruin our friendship." Emma rambled, and Regina knew that the blonde clearly hadn't heard the reply she'd given after the confession.

"Emma, wait." Regina said suddenly, reaching out a hand as Emma rose from her stool. "Why didn't you tell me about your tattoo?"

The Sheriff froze, her empty coffee mug crashing to the floor. Emerald eyes blinked in shock as pieces scattered all over the floor. She looked from the tiles to Regina's face, an apologetic look immediately breaking out. "Sorry about that. I'll replace it if you like."'

"No need. Now stop deflecting and answer the question." The brunette fixed her gaze on Emma and watched at the blonde slowly sat back onto the stool and gulped.

"I... I didn't want to complicate things." She said finally, after a few minutes of silence that felt like forever.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Robin came into town with this obvious, fancy ass tattoo on his arm claiming he was your soulmate. He's simple, straightforward, an easy partner. I'm not." Emma shrugged, trying not to look too bothered by the whole thing. "I didn't want to tell you of my feelings for you, so I thought it would be best for you to just be happy and date Robin, and I figured I'd just get over it somehow. I'm happy being your friend. That's good enough for me."

Regina's heart clenched a little at Emma's words; she hadn't realised till now how selfless the Sheriff actually was. If it was even possible, the brunette fell a little more in love with the blonde as the two shared an intense gaze.

"Well, you were wrong." The Mayor arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and smirked.

"Huh?" Emma furrowed her brows and leaned forwards instinctively.

"You were wrong to not tell me. I would have wanted to know."

"But, why? What difference does it make? You're going to go to Robin anyway." The blonde just rolled her eyes and looked away, breaking the tension-wrought stare.

"No, Emma, I'm not. Had I known that you loved me, and you had a Lyon flower tattoo I would have gone straight to you two years ago." The brunette spoke softly and quietly, hoping Emma would believe her.

"Holy shit." Emma mumbled under breath, she disbelief clear. "Really?"

"Yes, Emma. I love you too." Regina came forward to stand in front of Emma, who slipped down from her seat on the stool.

"Thank god." The blonde muttered, just before Regina crashed their lips together desperately. As soon as she did so, a powerful flash of light emanated from their bodies.

The Mayor felt a burning sensation on her left hip, and she jumped back in surprise. "What?" Emma asked suddenly, worried she'd done something wrong.

"Did you see that?" Regina asked, still breathless from their kiss.

"Yeah, I saw the flash of light." Emma agreed, staring around them. Everything looked the same, and nothing looked out place.

"I felt something too. Did you?" The brunette asked, rubbing the spot on her hip where it had burnt her.

"No, what happened?"

"I felt a burning on my left hip."

"Lift your top. I'll have a look." Emma moved round to Regina's side, bending down so her line of sight was at the older woman's hip.

"Okay." The Mayor lifted her top to just above where she had felt the burning. Emma then reached out and pulled back the waistband of her silky trousers, gasping quietly when she saw what was there.

"Regina..." She started, her voice low and mildly worried.

"What?" Regina heard the undertone of panic in the blonde's voice, and she wondered what had happened.

"You've got a tattoo." Emma stated, not knowing what the Mayor's reaction would be.

"What?!" Regina exclaimed loudly, her eyes flashing in shock.

"It's the same as mine. It's on your left hip, just like mine and in exactly the same place as mine." Emma explained slowly, and then it all clicked.

"Let me see." Regina twisted round and just about caught sight of the tattoo out of her peripheral vision. "Hmm, yes. I think I know why."

"Why?"

"Well, two things. One, because we're soulmates. Two, because we're True Love's." The brunette ran her fingers lightly over the spot on her hip, lifting her eyes to Emma who had straightened up and now leant against the kitchen island.

"Really?" Emma asked for the second time that morning, her face a rather funny picture of sheer surprise.

"Yes, Emma." Regina rolled her eyes in amusement, smiling affectionately.

"I love you." The blonde said as she surged forwards, claiming Regina's lips with a passionate kiss.

"I love you too." Regina whispered against Emma's lips, smiling as the younger woman bit down gently on her bottom lip. _Screw Robin,_ she thought as her mind was spun into a heavenly bliss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Reviews honestly are love...


End file.
